Oh Friday. How happy I am to see you after a week dominated by a sinus infection/bronchitis and possibly strep throat. Please take me into your loving embrace and cradle me for the happiest of hours. Am I being weird? Should I stop? Is DayQuil making me delirious? Who knows.

Linking up with a bunch of lovely ladies today for this week’s edition of Friday Favorites. I’ve been feeling inspired lately – by things I’ve read, quotes I’ve discovered and songs I can’t stop playing – so I thought I would share some of that wonderfulness with you guys!

First up, Favorite Book (of the moment): Circling the Sun by Paula McLain

Oh my goodness. I couldn’t put it down. Except when I had to, you know, drive and sleep and stuff. It was the perfect book to accompany me on a 4-day LDW beach trip, but I can’t stop thinking about it over a week later. Beryl Markham is a wonderful heroine and an Paula McClain is a beautiful writer – I felt like I could actually picture the gorgeous Kenyan landscape as I read and re-read the descriptions, devouring every paragraph twice. BUY IT.

Favorite Quote:

PREACH, Glennon. Of course I’m a little bit broken. We all are. We all have flaws and faults and we all make mistakes and the beauty of it is that the people we love, the people who love us back – love us just the way we are. They don’t love parts of us, they love all of us. And if you find someone surrounding you who doesn’t? They shouldn’t be there.

Favorite Song (of the moment): Could Have Been Me – The Struts

It’s catchy, upbeat, AND inspirational. Crank down the windows on your commute home and sing along as loudly as you can – “I wanna live better days, never look back and say, could have been me.”

I honestly think I might be a cross between Planner and Visualizer – I definitely see aspects of both styles in my work life and personal life. What’s your productivity style? Is your job well-suited for style with which you resonate most?

I hope that if you made it this far (thanks! you’re great! I love you!) then hopefully you’ve found at least one thing to inspire you for the weekend ahead. Make great things happen, people! Happy Friday!

Since starting a new job midway through May, I’ve been too busy to think. Okay I’ve done some thinking. What I haven’t been doing as much as I’d like to? Reading; but I think I’ve finally got a routine down where I can start some new books!

As I described here, I use a great app called Overdrive to read free e-books on my iPad. If you have a public library account, you should absolutely check it out. Here are a few awesome books that I highly recommend, and a few I’m getting ready to read. Let me know what you think!

One I’ve Read: Me Before You – Jojo Moyes.

“Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?” – via

This book. I absolutely need you all to read this book. I also absolutely need you to be sure you have a few boxes of tissues and some eyedrops available when you do so. I laughed, I cried, I used every cliché in the world to write this description – but it was truly an amazing story.

One I’m Reading: The Girl You Left Behind – Jojo Moyes

“France 1916. Sophie Lefèvre must keep her family safe while her adored husband, Édouard, fights at the front. When their town falls to the Germans in the midst of World War I, she is forced to serve them every evening at her hotel. From the moment the new Kommandant sets eyes on Sophie’s portrait—painted by her artist husband–a dangerous obsession is born, one that will lead Sophie to make a dark and terrible decision.” – via

I adore historical fiction. I always loved history class, and I always loved reading romantic books (“chick-lit” I suppose) – so when they combine, I usually enjoy the results. Has anyone read any of her other novels?

One I’ve Read: Night Road– Kristen Hannah

“Vivid, universal, and emotionally complex, Night Road raises profound questions about motherhood, identity, love, and forgiveness. It is a luminous, heartbreaking novel that captures both the exquisite pain of loss and the stunning power of hope.” – via

Warning: This is another “tissue required” book, but it’s worth every tear. Even if you cry them in that ugly sort of way in front of your boyfriend’s extended family at the beach… I guess. Highly recommend this one for mothers, but you (clearly) don’t have to be one to enjoy the story.

One I’m Reading: Nightingale – Kristen Hannah

“With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war.” – via

I’m sensing a historical theme… and I like it. This is Kristen Hannah’s newest and I haven’t heard much in terms of reviews yet, so I’m anxious to see if it’s along the lines of her more powerful writing, or her lighter beach-y reads. Either way, the plot description sucked me right in.

I’ve Read: To Kill a Mockingbird One – Harper Lee

“Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior – to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos.” – via

You’re probably all wondering why I’m bringing up a book we were required to read in middle school English. It’s because the story resonated with me so much that I have read it every single summer for 12 years straight. And I promise you, I’ve learned something new about the story or myself, every single time. Pick it back up again – I think you’ll find a whole new appreciation now that we’re older.

Here’s a few more on my “to read” list, but I probably won’t get to them until mid-summer. Let me know if you enjoyed any of them, or if you have any more recommendations! I’m not picky – any genre will do : )

Lean InUnbrokenWhat Alice ForgotThe Boys on the BoatAll the Light We Cannot See

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